Progress

Sign the Petition to

Enda Kenny, Taoiseach of Ireland

We, the undersigned, wish to show our support for the legislation of abortion in Ireland.

For too long women in Ireland have been left to fend for themselves in a time of hard choices and, too often, risks to their own health.

With so much anti-abortion attention in the media and many public protests, the undersigned wish to show the abundance of both national and international support for the protection of women's health and happiness.

For too long Ireland has been behind the times in this regard, and even the proposed small step of legislating to allow abortion in cases of risk to the life of a woman is a step towards recognising the need to protect women's lives, representing the beliefs of so many in the country, and away from the wishes of the male-centered beliefs of old Catholic Ireland.

Signed,

Catriona Graham

This petition closed over 4 years ago

How this will help

The Irish government is considering bringing in legislation to allow for abortion in cases of threat to the mother's life. While this is only going to help women in a very narrow set of...

The Irish government is considering bringing in legislation to allow for abortion in cases of threat to the mother's life. While this is only going to help women in a very narrow set of circumstances, it WILL save lives. We need to show the government that there is both national and international support for the step towards supporting women in a difficult situation rather than abandoning them to go to the UK in what can be a very difficult journey. An irish family planning video to show the current abortion situation:

As can be seen in the below image, Ireland is one of very few developed countries to still have abortion completely outlawed. There is an obvious trend of thought throughout the world that abortion is acceptable in many circumstances for the health and happiness of women and families in a variety of circumstances.

Many attribute Ireland's stance to the continued influence of Catholicism on its society. This can be seen in how the media has been portraying the cause, with references to bishops' reactions getting more air time than pro-abortion professionals. Many of the anti-abortion protestors' main reasons for fighting it is because it is against God's wishes, no matter the fact that the country is no longer a theocracy and should be representing the needs of people of other denominations or no religion. The importance and needs of women in Irish society is often neglected.

Here are some examples of recent articles on abortion that have appeared in local and national newspapers: